Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Petuniaxc3x97hybrida cultivar Wespequeen.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petuniaxc3x97hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Wespequeenxe2x80x99.
The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany. The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor of a proprietary Petunia seedling selection, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, identified as code number 99P078 with a proprietary Petunia seedling selection not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent, identified as code number 99P048. The new Petunia was selected by the Inventor in 2000 in a controlled environment in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany since 2001, has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Wespequeenxe2x80x99 have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Wespequeenxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Wespequeenxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Petunia cultivar:
1. Cascading growth habit.
2. Freely flowering habit.
3. Single bicolored flowers that are purple in color with white-colored margins.
4. Light bluish violet-colored anthers.
5. Large sepals.
Plants of the new Petunia produce flowers that are larger and darker in color than plants of the female parent, a proprietary selection. Plants of the new Petunia have a more cascading plant habit and have larger and darker colored flowers than plants of the male parent, a proprietary selection.
Plants of the cultivar Wespequeen can be compared to plants of the Petunia cultivar Brevt, described in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,679. However in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany, plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Brevt, differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia had shorter internodes than plants of the cultivar Brevt.
2. Plants of the new Petunia had larger flowers with larger sepals than plants of the cultivar Brevt.
3. Flower color of plants of the new Petunia was different than flower color of plants of the cultivar Brevt.
4. Plants of the new Petunia had longer peduncles than plants of the cultivar Brevt.
5. Flowers of the new Petunia had anthers of a different color than flowers of the cultivar Brevt.
Plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Wespequeenxe2x80x99 can also be compared to plants of the Petunia cultivar Bresh, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/592,379, now abandoned. However in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany, plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Bresh differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia had shorter internodes than plants of the cultivar Bresh.
2. Plants of the new Petunia had larger flowers with larger sepals than plants of the cultivar Bresh.
3. Flower color of plants of the new Petunia was more intense than flower color of plants of the cultivar Bresh.
4. Flowers of the new Petunia had anthers of a different color than flowers of the cultivar Bresh.